motivational coach sheli G

Posts tagged ‘Community’

TED talks are: ” Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. ” also known for their tag line… “Ideas worth spreading”. Apparently this is true- as I am spreading their ideas right now! 🙂

I do love most TED talks. I was watching one intently by Psychologist PhilipZimbardo. He was talking about the difference in good vs. evil. PhilipZimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. ( Google his story and you will know why ) In this particular talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. *Warning, don’t watch this with kids, ~please.

Then he talks about the flip side:How easy it is to be a hero, and how we all can rise to the challenge. Y E S !

He talks about something that totally hit home for me; the fact that we have the wrong image of a “Hero” in the American culture. We either think of Superman, Batman or other grandiose comic/movie characters, who are fictional, and have way supernatural powers, OR we may think of Hollywood super stars who have mega money, influence, and therefore have tremendous power in the U.S. to perhaps flaunt their “do-gooding” around the world. Of course- one might wonder; is it truly doing good, or is it trying to make themselves look good? After all, is it a great sacrifice for the very rich to give some back, and boost their fan base via the media?

And the greater question that Phillip raises is this; (in my words) Is it jacking up our kids belief systems of who is and CAN BE a hero? Is it messing with ADULT ideas or visions of who can be a hero?

After all, none of us have super powers, at least not like they do in a comic book. So- that kind of hero is off limits to us. And most of us won’t make it to the kind of wealth that the upper echelon of Hollywood, or the very top of Corporate America achieves, to allow for the kind of ability to give millions, and take years off of work to travel and just “be”.

Then, what is a HERO?

They are every day people. They are you and I, as we so choose. They do good when no one is looking, and when everyone is looking. They give when it hurts. They give because it’s the right thing to do. They give what they can, with what they have, where they are.

Maybe they hold a door open. Buy groceries for someone in need. Serve soup on a Holiday. Host events to raise funds, or badly needed items like coats and school supplies. They donate time teaching. They mentor. They Coach. They give. They give for no other reason, but that it’s the right thing to do, and that feels right. That feels good to our souls.

There is a reason we feel good when we give.

It’s not about pride. It’s because God made us to care. We care not just for ourselves, but healthy people care for the collective. We care because we get that we are all connected somehow, even if we cannot explain that concept or belief well.

We are in this thing called LIFE together. We are not born alone, on an island. Yes- we get hurt by others. 911 proved that. And we have hurt others too. But we also get well together. We heal with the support of others. We are stronger together. When survival experts train people how to navigate tough rivers, they teach you how to lock arms with your buddies to get across safely. You may be incredibly strong, but so is that river called life, and it can take you down if you are not supported.

Being a HERO is a daily choice.

I can be a hero to my kids, and keep my promises- the small ones and the big ones. I can hold a door open. Help a neighbor mow their lawn. Pay someone’s bill. Offer free teaching or coaching to one in need. I can give my offering at church and support the giving that goes out from there.

I can donate time to the club I just personally joined: The Lions Club. These men and women have been mega HEROES for decades! And now I am honored to give my part to the cause, helping blind kids without eye care to see again, or get glasses, or dental care, or school supplies. I can help build handicap walkways where they are needed around town. I can help beautify the VA center. The list goes on, and is right in front of me. With or without money, there are always needs. Needs I can help fulfill.

The SUPER POWER is YOU. ME. It is US. We can train the next generation what real, everyday heroes look like. We are powerful together. What will you do today, and this week, in service?

I would love to hear your comments and thoughts about how you give back or ideas to help others who wish to get ideas on how to give back.

I had lunch with a very good friend this week, but one that I had not seen in far too long. Larry Locklear and I met years ago, when I was 26, at a dynamic community personal development class called Spectrum Trainings. Larry is one of the hardest working, most honest guys I have ever met. We were fast friends. I didn’t know Larry was Lion, or I just wasn’t paying attention.

(Larry is on the Left)

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization. They have 1.35+ million members in more than 46,000 clubs worldwide. Lions are everywhere. They’re men and women who are active in community projects in more than 207 countries and geographic areas. Lions have a dynamic history. Founded in 1917, they are best known for fighting blindness – it’s part of their history as well as their work today. But they also perform volunteer work for many different kinds of community projects – including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry, and aiding seniors and the disabled.

So Larry and I are eating at Chili’s, having a great time, and he asks me about speaking at an upcoming Lions meeting. As I ask him questions to better understand the Lions, Larry is sharing stories, about the blind who now can see because of this group. About a family with kids who had NOTHING, and the Lion’s brought Christmas to their door. The tree, food, presents, and the love…the Lion’s delivered all of this. I don’t know every Lion, but I can speak for Larry. He doesn’t do it for the applause, and they rarely receive that. He doesn’t do it for an ego boost, or the networking that the Lions are also widely known for. (after all, where big hearts and big wallets meet, there are some incredible connections to be made)

With tears in his eyes, Larry chokes out, that those service experiences forever change him, each and every time. He does it with all joy, knowing that he is giving back what he can. He is giving back what he deeply feels is his responsibility, since he has been blessed.

He isn’t a millionaire. He isn’t so different than you and I, really. He works full time and has a family. But Larry is one stand up guy. He intentionally blocks out time to help the ones in the most need, one situation at a time, as often as possible.

That’s it, I thought. No one I know “has the time” anymore, for anything else, do they? Right now, we probably have more money available than time, if we really think about our jam-packed days. There is no more time left over. It is then truly a choice; to designate some of our time and talents, to give back to the needy, since we are blessed.

If you choose, consider blocking out an hour to visit a local Lion’s Club group for lunch. Or go to lunch with a friend who is a member, and see what they are really about. Maybe you will find, like Larry, that in the giving of yourself to one in need, that you are forever changed, immeasurably.